fix: preserve expression-based draft boolean in create-pull-request handler config

actions/setup/js/create_pull_request.cjs

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ const { replaceTemporaryIdReferences, isTemporaryId } = require("./temporary_id.
 const { resolveTargetRepoConfig, resolveAndValidateRepo } = require("./repo_helpers.cjs");
 const { addExpirationToFooter } = require("./ephemerals.cjs");
 const { generateWorkflowIdMarker } = require("./generate_footer.cjs");
+const { parseBoolTemplatable } = require("./templatable.cjs");
 const { generateFooterWithMessages } = require("./messages_footer.cjs");
 const { normalizeBranchName } = require("./normalize_branch_name.cjs");
 
@@ -92,7 +93,7 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
   // Extract configuration
   const titlePrefix = config.title_prefix || "";
   const envLabels = config.labels ? (Array.isArray(config.labels) ? config.labels : config.labels.split(",")).map(label => String(label).trim()).filter(label => label) : [];
-  const draftDefault = config.draft !== undefined ? config.draft : true;
+  const draftDefault = parseBoolTemplatable(config.draft, true);
   const ifNoChanges = config.if_no_changes || "warn";
   const allowEmpty = config.allow_empty || false;
   const autoMerge = config.auto_merge || false;

actions/setup/js/templatable.cjs

@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+// @ts-check
+
+/**
+ * Helpers for "templatable" safe-output config fields.
+ *
+ * A templatable field is one that:
+ *  - Does NOT affect the generated .lock.yml (no compile-time structural
+ *    impact).
+ *  - Can be supplied as a literal boolean/string value OR as a GitHub
+ *    Actions expression ("${{ inputs.foo }}") that is resolved at runtime
+ *    when the env-var containing the handler-config JSON is expanded.
+ *
+ * The Go counterpart lives in pkg/workflow/templatables.go.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Parses a templatable boolean config value.
+ *
+ * Handles all representations that can arrive in a handler config:
+ *  - `undefined` / `null`  → `defaultValue`
+ *  - boolean `true`        → `true`
+ *  - boolean `false`       → `false`
+ *  - string `"true"`       → `true`
+ *  - string `"false"`      → `false`
+ *  - any other string (e.g. a resolved GitHub Actions expression value
+ *    that was not "false") → `true`
+ *
+ * @param {any} value - The config field value to parse.
+ * @param {boolean} [defaultValue=true] - Value returned when `value` is
+ *   `undefined` or `null`.
+ * @returns {boolean}
+ */
+function parseBoolTemplatable(value, defaultValue = true) {
+  if (value === undefined || value === null) return defaultValue;
+  return String(value) !== "false";
+}
+
+module.exports = { parseBoolTemplatable };

actions/setup/js/templatable.test.cjs

@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
+
+const { parseBoolTemplatable } = require("./templatable.cjs");
+
+describe("templatable.cjs", () => {
+  describe("parseBoolTemplatable", () => {
+    it("returns defaultValue (true) for undefined", () => {
+      expect(parseBoolTemplatable(undefined)).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it("returns defaultValue (true) for null", () => {
+      expect(parseBoolTemplatable(null)).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it("respects a custom defaultValue", () => {
+      expect(parseBoolTemplatable(undefined, false)).toBe(false);
+      expect(parseBoolTemplatable(null, false)).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it("handles boolean true", () => {
+      expect(parseBoolTemplatable(true)).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it("handles boolean false", () => {
+      expect(parseBoolTemplatable(false)).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it('handles string "true"', () => {
+      expect(parseBoolTemplatable("true")).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it('handles string "false"', () => {
+      expect(parseBoolTemplatable("false")).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it("treats a resolved expression value other than false as truthy", () => {
+      // GitHub Actions expressions that resolve to something other than "false"
+      // (e.g. "yes", "1", an empty object representation) should be truthy.
+      expect(parseBoolTemplatable("yes")).toBe(true);
+      expect(parseBoolTemplatable("1")).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it("treats the string false-equivalent as falsy", () => {
+      expect(parseBoolTemplatable("false", true)).toBe(false);
+    });
+  });
+});

pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json

@@ -4935,8 +4935,8 @@
                   "description": "Optional reviewer(s) to assign to the pull request. Accepts either a single string or an array of usernames. Use 'copilot' to request a code review from GitHub Copilot."
                 },
                 "draft": {
-                  "type": "boolean",
-                  "description": "Whether to create pull request as draft (defaults to true)",
+                  "allOf": [{ "$ref": "#/$defs/templatable_boolean" }],
+                  "description": "Whether to create pull request as draft (defaults to true). Accepts a boolean or a GitHub Actions expression.",
                   "default": true
                 },
                 "if-no-changes": {
@@ -6877,6 +6877,19 @@
     }
   ],
   "$defs": {
+    "templatable_boolean": {
+      "description": "A boolean value that may also be specified as a GitHub Actions expression string that resolves to a boolean at runtime (e.g. '${{ inputs.my-flag }}').",
+      "oneOf": [
+        {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "string",
+          "pattern": "^\\$\\{\\{.*\\}\\}$",
+          "description": "GitHub Actions expression that resolves to a boolean at runtime"
+        }
+      ]
+    },
     "engine_config": {
       "examples": [
         "claude",

pkg/workflow/compile_outputs_pr_test.go

@@ -339,6 +339,77 @@ This workflow tests the create_pull_request job generation with draft: true.
 	// t.Logf("Generated workflow content:\n%s", lockContentStr)
 }
 
+func TestOutputPullRequestDraftExpression(t *testing.T) {
+	// Create temporary directory for test files
+	tmpDir := testutil.TempDir(t, "output-pr-draft-expr-test")
+
+	// Test case with create-pull-request configuration with draft as an expression
+	testContent := `---
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      draft-prs:
+        type: boolean
+        default: true
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  pull-requests: write
+  issues: read
+tools:
+  github:
+    allowed: [list_issues]
+engine: claude
+features:
+  dangerous-permissions-write: true
+strict: false
+safe-outputs:
+  create-pull-request:
+    title-prefix: "[agent] "
+    labels: [automation]
+    draft: ${{ inputs.draft-prs }}
+---
+
+# Test Output Pull Request with Draft Expression
+
+This workflow tests the create_pull_request job generation with draft as an expression.
+`
+
+	testFile := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "test-output-pr-draft-expr.md")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(testFile, []byte(testContent), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	compiler := NewCompiler()
+
+	// Compile the workflow
+	if err := compiler.CompileWorkflow(testFile); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unexpected error compiling workflow with draft expression: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Read the generated lock file
+	lockFile := stringutil.MarkdownToLockFile(testFile)
+	lockContent, err := os.ReadFile(lockFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Failed to read generated lock file: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	lockContentStr := string(lockContent)
+
+	// Verify GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_HANDLER_CONFIG is present and contains the draft expression
+	if !strings.Contains(lockContentStr, "GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_HANDLER_CONFIG") {
+		t.Error("Expected handler manager config environment variable")
+	}
+
+	if !strings.Contains(lockContentStr, "draft") {
+		t.Error("Expected 'draft' field in handler manager config")
+	}
+
+	// The expression should be preserved in the handler config
+	if !strings.Contains(lockContentStr, "inputs.draft-prs") {
+		t.Error("Expected expression '${{ inputs.draft-prs }}' to be preserved in the handler config")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestCreatePullRequestIfNoChangesConfig(t *testing.T) {
 	// Create temporary directory for test files
 	tmpDir := testutil.TempDir(t, "create-pr-if-no-changes-test")
@@ -658,7 +729,7 @@ This workflow tests the create-pull-request with fallback-as-issue disabled.
 		t.Fatal("Expected fallback-as-issue to be set")
 	}
 
-	if *workflowData.SafeOutputs.CreatePullRequests.FallbackAsIssue != false {
+	if *workflowData.SafeOutputs.CreatePullRequests.FallbackAsIssue {
 		t.Error("Expected fallback-as-issue to be false")
 	}
 

pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_config.go

@@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ var handlerRegistry = map[string]handlerBuilder{
 			AddIfNotEmpty("title_prefix", c.TitlePrefix).
 			AddStringSlice("labels", c.Labels).
 			AddStringSlice("reviewers", c.Reviewers).
-			AddBoolPtr("draft", c.Draft).
+			AddTemplatableBool("draft", c.Draft).
 			AddIfNotEmpty("if_no_changes", c.IfNoChanges).
 			AddIfTrue("allow_empty", c.AllowEmpty).
 			AddIfTrue("auto_merge", c.AutoMerge).

pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_config_test.go

@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ func TestAddHandlerManagerConfigEnvVar(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 					TitlePrefix: "[PR] ",
 					Labels:      []string{"automated"},
-					Draft:       testBoolPtr(true),
+					Draft:       testStringPtr("true"),
 					IfNoChanges: "skip",
 					AllowEmpty:  true,
 					Expires:     7,
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ func TestAddHandlerManagerConfigEnvVar(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 					Reviewers: []string{"user1", "user2"},
 					Labels:    []string{"automated"},
-					Draft:     testBoolPtr(false),
+					Draft:     testStringPtr("false"),
 				},
 			},
 			checkContains: []string{
@@ -418,6 +418,7 @@ func TestHandlerConfigBooleanFields(t *testing.T) {
 		safeOutputs *SafeOutputsConfig
 		checkField  string
 		checkKey    string
+		expected    any // expected value in JSON (bool or string)
 	}{
 		{
 			name: "hide older comments",
@@ -428,6 +429,7 @@ func TestHandlerConfigBooleanFields(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			checkField: "add_comment",
 			checkKey:   "hide_older_comments",
+			expected:   true,
 		},
 		{
 			name: "close older discussions",
@@ -438,6 +440,7 @@ func TestHandlerConfigBooleanFields(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			checkField: "create_discussion",
 			checkKey:   "close_older_discussions",
+			expected:   true,
 		},
 		{
 			name: "allow empty PR",
@@ -448,16 +451,18 @@ func TestHandlerConfigBooleanFields(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			checkField: "create_pull_request",
 			checkKey:   "allow_empty",
+			expected:   true,
 		},
 		{
 			name: "draft PR",
 			safeOutputs: &SafeOutputsConfig{
 				CreatePullRequests: &CreatePullRequestsConfig{
-					Draft: testBoolPtr(true),
+					Draft: testStringPtr("true"),
 				},
 			},
 			checkField: "create_pull_request",
 			checkKey:   "draft",
+			expected:   true, // AddTemplatableBool converts "true" string to JSON boolean
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -491,7 +496,7 @@ func TestHandlerConfigBooleanFields(t *testing.T) {
 
 						val, ok := fieldConfig[tt.checkKey]
 						require.True(t, ok, "Expected key: "+tt.checkKey)
-						assert.Equal(t, true, val)
+						assert.Equal(t, tt.expected, val)
 					}
 				}
 			}
@@ -696,6 +701,11 @@ func testBoolPtr(b bool) *bool {
 	return &b
 }
 
+// testStringPtr is a helper function for string pointers in config tests
+func testStringPtr(s string) *string {
+	return &s
+}
+
 // TestAutoEnabledHandlers tests that missing_tool and missing_data
 // are automatically enabled even when not explicitly configured.
 // Note: noop is NOT included here because it is always processed by a dedicated

pkg/workflow/create_discussion.go

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ type CreateDiscussionsConfig struct {
 	CloseOlderDiscussions bool     `yaml:"close-older-discussions,omitempty"` // When true, close older discussions with same title prefix or labels as outdated
 	RequiredCategory      string   `yaml:"required-category,omitempty"`       // Required category for matching when close-older-discussions is enabled
 	Expires               int      `yaml:"expires,omitempty"`                 // Hours until the discussion expires and should be automatically closed
-	FallbackToIssue       *bool    `yaml:"fallback-to-issue,omitempty"`       // When true (default), fallback to create-issue if discussion creation fails due to permissions
+	FallbackToIssue       *bool    `yaml:"fallback-to-issue,omitempty"`       // When true (default), fallback to create-issue if discussion creation fails due to permissions.
 	Footer                *bool    `yaml:"footer,omitempty"`                  // Controls whether AI-generated footer is added. When false, visible footer is omitted but XML markers are kept.
 }
 
@@ -65,8 +65,8 @@ func (c *Compiler) parseDiscussionsConfig(outputMap map[string]any) *CreateDiscu
 
 	// Set default fallback-to-issue to true if not specified
 	if config.FallbackToIssue == nil {
-		trueValue := true
-		config.FallbackToIssue = &trueValue
+		trueVal := true
+		config.FallbackToIssue = &trueVal
 		discussionLog.Print("Using default fallback-to-issue: true")
 	}
 
@@ -140,7 +140,10 @@ func (c *Compiler) buildCreateOutputDiscussionJob(data *WorkflowData, mainJobNam
 	}
 
 	// Add fallback-to-issue flag
-	if data.SafeOutputs.CreateDiscussions.FallbackToIssue != nil && *data.SafeOutputs.CreateDiscussions.FallbackToIssue {
+	ftiVal := data.SafeOutputs.CreateDiscussions.FallbackToIssue
+	if ftiVal != nil {
+		customEnvVars = append(customEnvVars, fmt.Sprintf("          GH_AW_DISCUSSION_FALLBACK_TO_ISSUE: \"%t\"\n", *ftiVal))
+	} else {
 		customEnvVars = append(customEnvVars, "          GH_AW_DISCUSSION_FALLBACK_TO_ISSUE: \"true\"\n")
 	}